Hi everyone, I'm thinking about trying out some starch slime! I've already experimented with an awesome slime on a waterbed (http://youtu.be/nWfT57f44Ps), but that slime isn't particularly cheap to make. Starch is widely available and relatively inexpensive, so I thought I'd try for a giant, sticky blob of something!
So far, I'm leaning towards rice starch. You can find it sold as glue by some hobby sites. Starch is made up of amylose and amylopectin - amylose isn't water soluble, but amylopectin is... so it seems like a starch higher in amylopectin would be the better choice to dissolve in water and turn into slime! From what I've found so far, it looks like glutinous rice starch has the highest percentage of amylopectin (or it's ALL amylopectin) - that's what makes sticky rice sticky.
I'm sure we're all familiar with what happens when you mix corn starch with water (http://youtu.be/f2XQ97XHjVw). I'm not sure if rice starch will have any non-Newtonian properties after heating and mixing - it might just turn into a big sticky mess (yay)!
Does anyone have thoughts/tips/experiences using starch slime? Or rice starch in particular?
You have to boil the mixture to make it set up. With cornstarch, you are essentially making pudding or gravy. Seems to work best if boiled until it starts to turn clear. It thickens as it cools, but will turn to something like jello when cooled to room temp or below. It's been a few years since I used it, but I seem to remember about a half cup per gallon being a pretty good ratio.